A prostitute who operates at the Wonderfontein Puma Garage Truck Stop in Bronkhorstspruit has complained about her clients who demand kisses even at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have always had problems with clients who don’t want to use condoms but now you find one who also demands being kissed without even thinking of the dangers he exposes to both of us,” said Thando Dlamini.
She is forced to work as she has to pay her pimp R150 daily to ensure she has a roof over her head.
“The brothel owner demands money every single day because we need to pay rent, so there’s nothing I can do,” says Dlamini.
“The coronavirus has really affected me and many other prostituted women,” says Mabe.
“We don’t have any protective measures, which puts our lives at risk. Even if I try to wash my hands all the time, it doesn’t mean I am not at risk because washing hands is not the only solution to avoid this virus.”
She carries hand sanitiser in her bag, but fears it’s not enough. “Some of the clients demand that you kiss them and so there’s nothing I can really do to protect myself. Of late, clients have been coming with sanitiser sprays, wipes and so on, but I’m not sure if that’s enough.”
Business has been quieter since the spread of the virus, so Dlamini is forced to give in to her clients’ demands.
“Those men that do still buy our services may very well insist on sex without condoms and we may end up agreeing to this purely because that may be the only client we have that day.”
Before the Covid-19 outbreak in South Africa, Dlamini made about R800 a night.
“Now I only make R100 per night. Some of the women spend the night at the truck stop without getting any money.”
“My wish is that our clients stop demanding kisses because we may end up contracting coronavirus, which is very easy to spread and may lead to many deaths,” Dlamini said.
